Out Of The Cellar
by Ratt

From Repo TOP 100 COMMENTER 01/01/2023 13:52 | #292383 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

'84:i Kissing Stick
Aka "What Tastes Great But Adds No Weight?!"

“Back then, Eddie was sort of the apex of a new direction for guitarists of my generation. If you were just getting in the game like me, he was the guy to look up to. He made it all seem so exciting. Everybody wanted to play like him, and every band wanted to hit it big like Van Halen.” – Warren DeMartini, lead guitarist of Ratt

Look in the mirror
You’re too good for yourself - The Morning After

The Setting: What could be better?! We’re driving down the highway in our rented Ford Mustang convertible , the three of us belting out the lyrics to Ratt’s "Wanted Man". Pumping our fists up into the hot Floridian sun as we accelerate around the curves on the palm lined road. We’re on our way to Grandmother's house, BUT there's not a wolf in sight! The REAL Tilly pays the album we're spinning – Ratt’s Out Of The Cellar – the highest compliment she can think of... “This is just as good as Def Leppard, Dad! Maybe even Ozzy!” Gotta love it when your teen daughter is turning into a metalhead, right?

Out Of The Cellar did just that for Ratt back in 1984. They had been toiling away in the gutter of the Sunset Strip for pretty much a decade by then. The basics were already there, as one listen to Ratt’s EP (1983)penned by longtime Mickey Ratt club members, vocalist Stephen Pearcy & rhythm guitarist Robbin Crosby, would tell you. They were close. So close. But, back then you needed an Eddie or Randy to close the deal. You needed a guitar hero to bring down the lightning. Enter teenaged DeMartini, the hand-picked successor to Jake E Lee, on his departure from Ratt to join the Ozzman himself. Would DeMartini elevate Ratt Out Of The..."

The Listen: Sometimes you just want music to kiss & flirt too. Nothing heavy. Just something fun to get the party going and those Bartles & Jaymes flowing And just Outside Providence, hair metal was just da thing to get those wine coolers tilted back & perpendicular! Back in '84, Ratt was the band that all the bad girls had on their party mixtapes. Just the right amount of danger while keeping it sugary sweet. Delicious crunchy-chewy riffs like a Twix’s candy bar. This was music for walking to the mall too. . When I throw this on, I can almost taste the hairspray!

The Verdict: A shiny & polished update of Motley Crue's sleazetastic masterpiece from 1981 - Too Fast For Love <and a million times better than Motley Crue's own, at times, vomit inducing Theatre of Pain (1985), Ratt captures the Hair Metal crown in 1984 despite stiff competition from Dokken's Tooth & Nail. It's not a total success as the songwriting can get a bit generic at times and the commercial production robs these Ratts of their balls. It lacks that rough & raw dimension that made Too Fast For Love an instant classic. (Plus Tommy Lee’s drumming is just on another level ) But, it’s certainly the equal of the Crue's fantastic Shout At The Devil (1983). Ratt's Out Of The Cellar could easily jump start a party on its own lonesome back in 1984, and that’s no small feat. And they weren't done! Ratt's Invasion Of Your Privacy (1985) is every bit as good as the debut. And I’m telling ya', you coulda' created a Greatest Hits mixtape form those first two Ratt albums alone!

The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil (Edited)

Ratt were regulars in the LA hard rock scene of the 80s who broke big with their smash Round and Round. Though they were viewed as just another hair band somehow they sounded a little grittier and slightly more real. The video for the hit song is an MTV classic.

Hair Metal before it was called Hair Metal. This is a great example of the genre at its best. Great songs performed flawlessly. And a good time was had by all. THAT is what rock and roll is all about. This record delivers.

This album is so f++++ing good!

Best Tracks: Round and Round, Back for More